Ingot buggy



June 12, 1934. A. THEoLoGUs INGOT BUGGY Filed Feb. l1. 1932 2 Sheets-SheefI l INVENTOR.

Hn hony Thcol agus ATTORNEY.

June 12, 1934. A THEQLOGUS 1,962,848

INGOT BUGGY Filed Feb. 1l, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. Z.

NVENTOR. Hnfhony Theologus ZKM/M A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 12, 1934 UNITEDy STATES INGOT BUGGY Anthony Theologus, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to A. O. Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of New York Application February 1l, 1932, Serial No. 592,286

12 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for conveying and handling articles and especially to improvements in the construction of ingot buggies.

In the transportation and delivery of ingots to rolling mill approach tables, it is desirable to load the ingots on the ingot buggies with either end uppermost and, in unloading, it is desirable to have buggies which are capable of delivering either end of the ingot foremost without regard to the manner in which they were loaded on the buggy.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an ingot transporting and delivering device which is capable of being loaded with and delivering an ingot with either end of the ingot foremost.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description thereof and the accompanying drawings.

A specific embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and that modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an ingot buggy; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure l.

An ingot holder 1 is pivotally mounted on a truck 2 which is adapted to roll along the rails 3. The truck 2 comprises two spaced side frame members 4, mounted on the axles 5 which carry the wheels 6. Extending across the truck 2 between the side frame members 4 are two spaced cross-members 7. These cross-members are rigidly secured to the side frames 4 and serve to support the bearings 8 in a position above and between the side members 4, and also to give rigidity to the framework of the truck 2. The ingot holder 1 is mounted between the cross members 7 by means of the trunnions 9 which project from the sides 10 of the holder 1. The trunnions 9 are journaled in the bearings 8.

The holder l is capable of being turned on its trunnions or journals 9 by means of an electric motor ll. The motor is mounted on a support 11 which extends across the tops of the rear ends of the side members 4. The motor drives the holder 1 through the gears 12 and 13, a worm and gear in the housing 14 and the coupling 15. The Vgear ratio between the motor 1l and the coupling 15 is desirably large so that the ingot holder l will be rotated slowly when the motor 1l is driven at its normal speed.

The motor l1 is wound so that it can be driven in either direction; and a reversing switch 16, which is provided with an intermediate open circuit position to stop the motor when the ingot holder has reached any desired position, a forward closed circuit position and a reverse closed circuit position to control the directon of rotation of the motor and tilting of the ingot holder, may be connected in the armature circuit of the motor. The leads 17 and 18 are connected with the terminals of a power source 19 and the armature of the motor is suitably connected with the contact points 20 and 2l to give the forward and reverse movements. The field coils of the motor may be connected to the power supply by means of leads anda switch not shown in the drawing. Other motor drive arrangements may be used to give the described operation of the ingot holder and brakes which operate on the motor driven elements may be used to fixedly hold the ingot holder when it is stopped.

The frame members 4 may be resiliently mounted on the axles 5 by means of springs 22 and bearing blocks 22. The truck may be propelled along the rails by means of an electric motor 23 through a pinion 24 and a gear 25, which gear is secured to the wheel 6. The motor may be supported on a base member 26, one end of which is suspended by two hooked members 27 which are slung over axle 5 and the other end of which is suspended by two resilient links 28 which are pivoted at their upper ends to the under side of the motor support 1l at 29 and at their lower ends to the support 26 at 30. This method of supporting the propelling motor 23 permits relative movement between the frame of the truck and the axle or wheels thereof, such as that which occurs when the truck is in use. Since the support 26, the motor 23 and its pinion 24 pivot about the axle 5, the center of pinion 24 is maintained at a fixed distance from the center of the gear and the described relative movement is permissible without impairing the proper meshing of the pinion 24 with the gear 25.

Referring to Fig. 2, grooved rolls 31 are mounted between the side members 10 of the ingot holder on a support 32 which is supported in turn on the side members 4 of the truck. The support 32 is held from lateral movement by the depending anges 33 which are spaced to t between the inner vertical surfaces of the side'members 4. The laterally extended portions of the support 32 are provided with outwardly turned flanges 34. On one side, the flange engages a shoulder 35 on the side member 4 which provides a vertical support and on the other side, the flange 34 is supported on the top of the side member 4 soi that the rolls and the roll support can be removed by elevating them to clear the flanges 33Vand then moving the assembly laterally.

The upper portion of the roll support 32 is provided with flanges 36 which are inclined to one side at an angle of about 20 to the horizontal. Bearings 37 which carry the rolls 31 are mounted on the flanges 36 so that the tops of the rolls will lie in a similarly inclined plane. The grooved loo rolls 31 are arranged in pairs and they are spaced apart a distance which will admit an ingot to be placed therebetween on an ingot support 38.

The ingot support 38 is mounted in a centrally located guide or recessed portion of the roll support 32. It is positioned between the sides 10v of the ingot holder 1 and the normal position of its upper end is slightly below the plane which passes through the tops of the rolls 31. The support 38 is provided with a plunger 39 which is mounted to move longitudinally in a guide 40 of the roll support 32. At the lower end of the guide 40 is a recess which provides a space 41 in which two springs 42 are mounted on a plate 43.l The second spring is positioned immediately behind, and is a duplicate of the one shown. The plate 43 has iianges extending into the grooves 44 which are provided in guide member 40 to hold it in place. The plunger 39 is provided with an extension 45 which is threaded at the end and is passed through the springs 42 and plate 43. A nut 46 on the extension 45 limits the upward movement of the plunger. By .adjusting the nut 46, the level of the ingot support 38 and the tension of the springs can be changed.

An additional roll 47 is mounted in two bearings 48. The bearings are supported on the frame member 4 by brackets 49 which are spaced longitudinally along the member so that the top of the roll will lie in the same plane as the tops of rolls 31. The roll 47 is plain and is spaced from the grooved rolls 31 for a reasonwhich will appear hereinafter.

The ingot holder comprises a rim member 50 which may be continuous and oblong or rectangular in shape. It is formed so as to provide an opening at the top of the holder through which an ingot may be introduced into the holder. The rim 'is reenforced by a ange 51.

The inner face of the rim member 50 isbeveled from both sides to form outwardly extending beveled surfaces 50 and 51. The upper surface 5G' assists in guiding an ingot into the holder during loading and it is inclined so that it will clear the plane of the rolls when the innermost-portion of the rim passes the plane. II'he surface 51' assists in .gradually delivering the ingot. from the holder onto the rolls when the ingot is discharged bottom foremost. The inner bevel 51' is formed so that it will provide a skid which will be inclined at a small angle to the plane of the tops of the rolls when it approaches the plane and the holder is tilted to the right as shown in Fig. 2. In case the ingot should prematurely slide from the holder before it is lowered suiiiciently for the rolls to relieve the holder of the ingot, the following end of the ingot will pass along the beveled face 5l and it will be gradually lowered onto the rolls 31 without deforming the hot ingot or damaging the rolls. f

Extending downwardly from the rim member 50 on two opposite front and back sides of the holder 1 are the parallel members 10 which constitute the sides of the holder. They serve to guide the ingot during loading and unloading. Intermediate the ends of the members 10 are the trunnions 9 which extend laterally from these sides. The sides 10 are extended and enlarged at the ends to form end members or sectors 52 which'act as a counter balance so that the holder may be easily turned on its trunnions in either direction.

Due to the fact that two sides of the holder are open, that the roll unit with its rolls is narrower than the distance between the sides,

10 of the holder 1, and that the lowermost roll 47 is spaced from the rolls 31, the holder can be turned on its trunnions to the two extreme, or unloading, positions shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2, or in other words, through an arc of about 180. In one unloading position, the rim member :is lowered between roll 47 and rolls 31 While in the other unloading position it passes beyond the rolls 31. In both positions the inside of the rim passes below the plane which includes the tops of the rolls so that the ingot will be relieved of its contact with the holder and be permitted to travel freely down the inclined skid-way over the idling rolls 31 and 47.

After the buggy is moved along its track to a soaking pit and the ingot holder 1 is turned'to an upright or vertical position as shown in full lines in the drawings, an ingot is lowered into the holder 1 until it rests on the resilient support 38 which absorbs the shock of loading and supports the in- 1 got. The buggy is propelled along the tracks 3 by the electric motor 23 to the rolling mill approach table. The ingot holder 1 is turned on its trunnions by the electric motor 11 to an unloading position. If it is desired that the upperend of the ingot be delivered to the rolling mill approach table first, the motor will be operated to turn the top of the ingot holder to the left, or counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2; and the ingot will be delivered over the rolls 31 and 47 from the top of the ingot holder. If the lower end of the ingot is desired to be delivered first, the holder will be turned to the right, or clockwise and the ingot will pass between the side members 10 over the rolls 31 and 47. i

In either event, the ingot will be tilted it will be supported on the rolls 31 and 47 and the inside rim of the holder 1will be lowered slightly below the upper surface of the rolls so as to fully disengage the ingot from the holder. Due to the inclination of the roll support unit, the ingot will roll from the buggy over the inclined idling rolls 53 to the driven rolls 54 of the rolling mill approach table.` The motor 11 is reversed to turn the holder to its upright,for loading position', Iand the buggy is moved to the soaking pit for the purpose of transportingl another ingot from the pit to the table.

Although the described embodiment of the invention is a side-delivery buggy, it is evident that the. ingot holder may be mounted in other positions on the truck, that other means of propelling the ingot holder and transporting the truck or support for the holder may be used, and that va'- rious forms of rolls and mountings for the unit may be used without departing from the invention. Still other modifications of the structure may be made without departing from the invention and applicant does not intend to limit the invention except by the limitations which are specically recited in the annexed claims or are imposed by the prior art.

I claim:

1. An ingot buggy which comprises a truck; an ingot holder on the truck mounted to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis from one nearly horizontal position to another nearly horizontal position; means to rotate the holder; and a rollersupporting unit mounted on the truck beneath the holder.

2. An ingot transfer and turning devicewhich comprises a frame; an ingot holder mounted on the fra-me; means for rotating the holder into predetermined tilted positions; and anescape unit mounted on' theframe beneath the holder;

so that said holder having an opening along the side to receive the upper portion of the escape unit when the holder is in tilted position thereby to disengage the ingot from the holder and deliver the ingot to the escape unit, said escape unit being inclined to one side for causing the ingot to unload itself when it is disengaged from the holder.

3. An ingot transfer and turning device which comprises a frame; an ingot holder mounted on the frame; means for rotating the holder into predetermined tilted positions; and means on the frame comprising a plurality of rolls arranged below the holder to form an incline thereby to cause the ingot to unload itself when it is disengaged from the holder, said holder having openings in opposite sides through which the rolls are projected to disengage the ingot from the holder when the holder is tilted into said predetermined positions and openings in the ends of the holder to provide for removing the ingot either end foremost.

4. An ingot buggy which comprises a truck; an ingot holder rotatably mounted on the truck; a roll-supporting unit comprising a plurality of rolls on its upper surface mounted on the truck beneath the holder, the upper surface of said roll unit lying in a plane which is at a small angle to the horizontal; and means for lowering a side of the holder below the upper surface of the roll unit.

5. An ingot buggy which comprises a wheeled vehicle; an ingot holder on the vehicle, said holder having an open annular top portion and two opposite sides depending' thereon; means on said sides for rotatably supporting the holder on the vehicle; and roller means mounted on an incline and positioned on the vehicle between the depending sides of the holder for disengaging the ingot from said holder when the latter is rotated to a nearly horizontal position.,

6. An ingot buggy which comprises a framework; an ingot holder rotatably mounted on the framework, said holder having its top, bottom and lateral opposite sides open; a unit comprising a plurality of rollers mounted on the framework beneath the ingot holder, said rollers constituting an upper surface of an unloading unit which surface is slightly inclined to the side and with respect to the horizontal; and means for rotating the inner margin of said top below the surface of said rollers.

'7. An ingot turning and transfer device which comprises a portable framework; an ingot holder mounted upon the framework so as to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, said holder having its ends and two opposite sides open; a roller unit mounted upon the framework and beneath the holder, said unit comprising a yieldingly mounted ingot support; rolls mounted on said unit on either side of said ingot support, the upper surface of said rolls being arranged in a plane which is substantially parallel to said axis of rotation and inclined slightly to the horizontal and passes above the top of the ingot support; and means for rotating the holder.

8. An ingot transporting device which comprises a framework; an ingot support yieldingly mounted on the framework intermediate its ends, a plurality of revoluble units mounted on either side of the support, the upper surface of said units being in a plane which is at a small angle to the horizontal and the top of said support being slightly below said plane, a tiltable ingot holder over the support, means in the holder to laterally engage the outer end of the ingot, and means to tilt said holder.

9. A device for transporting and turning ingots which comprises a mounting having an upper roll support that is normally inclined to one side; rolls mounted on the support; an ingot holder having side members and an end rim; means on the side members to revolvably support the holder on the mounting; a centrally disposed ingot support yieldingly supported in the mounting be-\ tween the rolls; means to tilt the holder into predetermined positions so that the innermost portion of the rim will be disposed below the plane of the rolls; and an inner portion of the rim beveled to dispose its surface at a small angle to the plane of the tops of the rolls when the adjacent edge of the rim is moved in close proximity to said plane.

10. A device for transporting and turning ingots which comprises a mounting having an upper roll support that is normally inclined to one side; idling rolls mounted on the support; an ingot holder having side members; an end rim on the holder having outer and inner bevels; means on the holder to revolvably support the holder on the mounting; and means to tilt the holder into predetermined positions so that the innermost portion of the rim will be disposed below the plane of the tops of the rolls, said outer bevel being disposed below said plane of the rolls when the holder is tilted into one extreme position and said inner bevel being disposed at a small angle to said plane when the holder is moved toward another extreme position and the plane of the adjacent edge of the rim is in close proximity to said plane.

11. An ingot transporting device which comprises a framework, an ingot holder tiltably mounted on the framework for supporting the ingot in upright and tilted positions, upright members on the holder spaced to form openingsr at the sides thereof, a guard on the upright members disposed to pass laterally around the ingot near the outer end thereof for regulating upright and inclined positions of the ingot, means to tilt the holder to the side of the frame, and means inclined to one side of the frame for producing endwise movement of the ingot when it is tilted into a predetermined position.

12. An ingot transporting device which comprises a framework, an ingot holder tiltably mounted on the framework for supporting the ingot in upright and tilted positions, upright members on the holder spaced to form openings at the sides thereof, a guard on the upright members disposed to pass laterally around the ingot near the outer end thereof for regulating upright and inclined positions of the ingot, means to tilt the holder to the side of the frame,.means inclined to one side of the frame for producing endwise movement of the ingot when it is tilted into a predetermined position, and an ingot support yieldingly mounted intermediate the ends of said inclined means for elevating the lower end of the ingot when the same is in a tilted position. M5

ANTHONY THEOLOGUS. 

